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Blog Archives: November 2018

When you look back at the story of your life, what particular things have stood out to you the most?
Perhaps you can recall particular events that have shaped who you are as a person. How about employments that have strengthened you and allowed you to use the gifts and talents God has given you? Or loved ones who have been with you for the long haul, or those who have come and gone?
Perhaps you can recall broken relationships that seemed to be beyond repair. What was once healthy had, in time, become disjointed and fractured.
If we were ...

Word of the week: Wonder
Do you remember the last time you had a sense of wonder? Can you think of the last time that something really amazed you? Perhaps someone in your family has a new baby and you held the child over Thanksgiving. Or this year you traveled to some amazing place and paused to be amazed at the sights and sounds. Wonder and amazement bring joy to us and enhance the sense that the world has beauty and order beyond easy explanation.
I remember my childhood Christmas celebrations as times of wonder. It was when the tree ...

Usually I don’t answer my phone if I don’t recognize the number, but this time I did. It was a deacon at a small Baptist church not too far away from where I lived. They were currently without a pastor and looking for someone to fill the pulpit for an upcoming Sunday. Was I interested in doing the service for them? I was still in seminary and it was only the second time I had been invited to preach a service anywhere before – of course I was interested in doing the service!
When I got there on Sunday morning, I realized we had very ...

Word of the Week: Wonderful
Some things are just wonderful to see. When you are going through some sorrows (as our family is), sometimes something beautiful and wonderful is just the medicine for the soul which God prescribes. Last Sunday we watched Steve Hohenberger baptize his little grandson. Many of their family was there for this special occasion. That in and of itself is beautiful, as we recognize God’s grace to this family and his covenant promises to all generations. But this was a special moment because there is a bigger story ...

Evangelical Christians across America were asked a series of questions recently through Ligonier Ministries concerning basic Christian teachings. It turns out that 56% of those surveyed believe that the Holy Spirit is not a Person, but rather some kind of mystical force or movement! In other words, when they think of God, they probably have a decent understanding of God the Father and God the Son, but the Spirit is some mysterious energy that empowers Christians.
While time would fail us to go into all the various passages that describe the ...

Word of the Week: Potentate
When was the last time you used that in a sentence? Well, if you were in worship with us on Sunday, you used it at least once. In “Crown Him with Many Crowns,” we worshipped Jesus as the “Potentate of time.”
Crown him the Lord of years,
The Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime.
So, what’s a potentate? It’s a ruler or someone in power (think “potent”). Jesus is a ruler, but not like any other. He’s the Ruler of time itself! He’s the Creator of the planets and stars ...

Grief and loss are times of clarity (Ecclesiastes 7:2, 4). Things that seemed so urgent or important suddenly don’t matter at all. A struggle during times like this is to be patient with those who are caught up with the world’s normal fusses and fights. When you are watching a beloved mother slip away from you, so many things are shown to be an obvious waste of our time.
On the other hand, there are some simple things that I take away from the last few draining days that I pray God will keep near to me:
I learned a lot of high-sounding ...

Word of the Week: Spent
Hi, church. By now many of you have heard that Caron and I suffered a great loss - the loss of Caron’s mom, Phyllis. A few of you remember her visiting our church and even attending a women’s retreat! We don’t need anything right now other than your prayers. I’m thankful for those who are praying and were praying. God has heard and has been very kind to us. I’ll mention some of that in the blog for this week. Grief and loss are both physically demanding (late nights, hours of intensity waiting for a person to die), ...